In Woodcliff Lake today, 1199SEIU members went on the picket line in front of their nursing home to demand a fair contract for workers. The caregivers of Woodcliff Lake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center came out in droves to support their co-workers and other nursing home caregivers who are also in negotiations with their employers elsewhere in the state.

Workers are currently in a contract dispute with management, which ahs proposed immediate wage freezes for the next year and reductions to workers’ paid time off. Management is also proposing to reduce starting rates for new workers, and is refusing to increase contributions to the employee health insurance fund needed in order for workers to maintain their existing healthcare benefits.

"After 22 years as a CNA at Woodcliff Lake, my residents are like family to me,” said Barbara Stewart, a Certified Nursing Assistant at Woodcliff Lake Nursing and Rehabilitation.

"But gas prices are going up everyday. The price of everything is going up, and our paychecks stay the same. And if we lose our health benefits, we’ll have to take out of our pockets to pay for it. We don’t have the money for that."

Caregivers at Woodcliff Lake are part of a coordinated bargaining unit involving fourteen (14) long-term care facilities throughout the state, all of which are currently in contract negations. Today’s action was part of a statewide campaign that is targeting the facilities with informational pickets intended to inform New Jersey residents and public officials about the need to secure decent contracts for workers in order to improve standards and maintain quality residential care in the state’s nursing homes

"Right now, nursing homes are investing in bigger and better facilities across the state," said Milly Silva 1199 SEIU Executive Vice President in New Jersey.

"Employers with the capital to invest in brick and mortar should also invest in human lives, their caregivers who are taking care of our seniors. It’s time these workers got the decent wages and affordable health benefits they need to care for their loved ones, at the same time they care for others."